The news broke that English singer and former One Direction member Liam Payne passed away suddenly on October 16 after falling from his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne shared one son, 7-year-old Bear, with fellow singer Cheryl Cole.
Payne and Cole did not share much publicly about their son, only giving fans the occassional update on how he was doing. Months before his passing, Payne shared a message about his son with fans on Snapchat while celebrating his 31st birthday at a bowling alley.
“I’m am going to speak to my son in a little bit which I’m really excited about. Bless him, he’s getting so big now. He’s a big boy and he looks like a mini me,” Payne said in his final public message about Bear. “As if we needed any more me in the world.”
Daily Mail shared Payne’s message to TikTok on October 16, with fans flocking to the comment section with their reactions, including one user who wrote, “‘As if we needed anymore me in the world’ well now he’s the only bit of you we have left 💚,” and another who added, “This is heartbreaking. I wish he knew how loved he was.”
Liam Payne Wanted to Be a Good Father to Bear
@dailymail
Liam Payne posted an emotional video about how excited he was to see his son Bear in August. Rest in peace, Liam ❤️ #liampayne #cherylcole #onedirection #news
♬ snowfall (Slowed + Reverb) – Øneheart & reidenshi
A year before his passing, Payne shared a message with fans including some things he had learned about fatherhood in a July 2023 YouTube video.
“Time with Bear’s been really, really great. Honestly I want to say thank you to him and his mom for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment because I had to,” Payne said, referencing the months away from the public eye, get sober, and find himself again after backlash from his May 2022 interview on Logan Paul’s “IMPAULSIVE” podcast.
Payne went on to share, “There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach, and I don’t think up until this point I’ve really had much to say to him other than just caring for him deeply and loving him very deeply, which are obviously the most important things. But I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life now.”
Payne added that Bear had started texting him and was developing a sense of humor, and that he was really enjoying getting to see his son grow up.
Liam Payne’s Last Photo of Son Bear
Months after his return to the public eye in July 2023, Payne released his last single, “Teardrops” on March 1, 2024, and marked the occasion by posting a rare photo of his son, taken from behind, on Instagram.
The photo featured Bear in a yellow winter coat looking up and admiring a billboard advertising the new single with a photo of his father. Payne captioned the post, “I want to be on a billboard one day daddy 🐻 ❤️.”
Many fans have taken to the post’s comment section to share their heartbreak over Payne’s passing, with one user writing, “When I heard the news I thought about Liam’s son! He is so young and has already lost his father. I had the honor of having my father for many years and still thought it was not enough! I feel sad about this Child and sad that Liam left so soon and in this way. 💔 😌.”
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